Mail-bag holder.



L. MELCHIOR.

MAIL BAG HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13. 1916.

l,2,1 1t Patented Oct. 17,1916.

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LUDWIG MELCI-IIOR, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

MAIL-BAG HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct, 17, 1916.

Application filed June 13, 1916. Serial No. 103,516.

To all whom it may concern: 0

Be it known that I, LUDWIG MnLoHIoR, of Wilmington, in the county of New Castle and State of Delaware, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail- Bag Holders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to'make and use the same.

This invention relates to that class of mail delivery apparatus of the typeshown and described in Letters Patent No. 909,007 granted to me January 5, 1909, the object of the invention being to provide simple and 'eflicient means for suspending the bag in position on the car for removal by a stationary crane adjacent the road bed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation showing my improved bag holding mechanism in position to be engaged by the arm of a crane. Fig. 2 is an en- ].arged view of the bag holding arm. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the position of the parts immediately after the bag has been removed from the holder. Fig. 1 is a top plan view showing the supporting bar for the bag holder.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a bar which is extended across the opening of a car door and journaled at its ends in bearings 2, the bar being held in its normal position by a coiled spring 3, one end of which is secured to a collar 4 of the bar and the other to one of the bearings 2, such spring also acting as a buffer to'take up shock. A handle 5 is secured to the bar for turning it, the bar being held in its adjusted positions by the engagement of a stud 6 with recesses 7 in one of the bearings 2. The bar 1 also forms the support for a catcher arm 8 of known form.

The bag holding mechanism comprises a bifurcated arm 12 which is disposed at an angle to the bar 1 and has its shank fixedly secured thereto, the extensions of the arm being normally in a vertical plane, and a U shaped retaining member 13 which is pivotally mounted in the arm 12. The arms of the retaining member normally lie in parallelism with the arms 12, and these arms of the retaining member have opposite longitudinal grooves which are designed to receive a loop 14 from which the mail bags are suspended. I have shown this loop as provided with notches 15 to accommodate a series of mail bag rings. The latter are placed on the loop through one side, a spring held catch 16 being employed for this pur pose. The loop is held in its normal position within the retaining .member by a spring arm 17 the hooked end of whichengages the inner end of the loop. In order that the arms of the retaining member 13 may be normally held in parallelism with the arms 12, I provide a spring catch 18 mounted in the shank of the bag holder, the outer end of the spring catch being designed to engage the inner end of the retaining member. Slight lateral pressure on the retaining member will release the connection and permit the arm to swing. freely on its pivot.

The operation of the device will be readily apparent. The bar 1 of the car is turned to bring the bag holder into workable position within the car, and a mail bag which is to be delivered at a station on the road is suspended from a loop 14 and the latter placed in position in the retaining member 13, the spring arm securely holding the loop in the retaining member as against accidental dising arm with its complementary parts is projected beyond the car in position so that the receiving arm of a road crane will enter the loop. The relative movement between the arm and the bag holder will effect a disengagement of the retaining member from its catch 18, when the arm engages the loop, permitting such member to turn on its pivot so that the loop will be removed therefrom practically in a line with the direction of travel of the car, and without any strain upon the parts.

I claim as my invention:

1. A mail bag holder including a supporting member having a pair of spaced apart rigid arms, a retaining member pivoted to said arms, and a loop supported by said retaining member and to which a mail bag is designed to be secured.

2. A mail bag holder including a supporting member having upper and lower outsaid retaining member and loop in parallelism with said outwardly projecting arms.

l. An apparatus of the character described comprising a mail bag holder having upper and lower outwardly projecting arms, a retaining member pivoted to said arms and having outwardly extending portions, a loop fitted Within the latter and to which a mail bag is designed to be secured,

a spring catch carried by said holder for normally malntainmg said retalner 1n parallelism with the arms of said holder, and

resilient means for holding said loop in said h retainer.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, a bar pivotally mounted across a car door opening, means for holding said bar in operative and inoperative positions, a mail bag holder carried by said bar and having upper and lower outwardly projecting arms, a retaining member pivoted to said arms and having an open end, a loop fitted in the open end of said retaining member and to which a mail bag is designed to be secured, spring actuated means for holding said retainer in normal position, and resilient means for holding said loop as against accidental displacement.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

, LUDWIG MELCHIOR.

lVitnesses i J osnrlr HESS, JOHN L. SCHMIDT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C." 

